Rights group warns against Hindu rituals in India’s public schools
BJP-led directive introducing Hindu rituals in public schools has renewed debate over secularism and minority rights in India
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A civil rights organization has urged the BJP government in India’s Chhattisgarh state to revoke a directive introducing Hindu prayers and rituals into the daily routine of government schools, warning that the move undermines the country’s secular principles and risks alienating students from minority communities.
The Association for the Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) said the circular, issued by the Chhattisgarh School Education Department earlier this month, reflects a broader trend of religious majoritarianism entering state institutions under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The group argued that government schools, funded by taxpayers and attended by children from diverse religious backgrounds, should remain religiously neutral.
The directive instructs schools across the BJP-ruled state to incorporate a series of Hindu rituals and prayers into their daily activities, including Saraswati Vandana, a hymn dedicated to the Hindu goddess of learning; the Gayatri Mantra, one of Hinduism’s most sacred chants; Guru Mantra and Shanti Mantra recitations; Deep Prajwalan, the ceremonial lighting of lamps; and the chanting of a Bhojan Mantra before students receive mid-day meals.
State authorities have defended the measures as an effort to promote students’ intellectual development and strengthen their connection with what they describe as Indian cultural traditions and values.
APCR rejected that characterization, arguing that rituals rooted in a particular faith cannot be presented as culturally neutral in public institutions.
“Making prayers and rituals from any religion mandatory for all students in the name of cultural education means the state is endorsing and promoting that faith to the exclusion of others,” the organization said in a statement. “It also violates the freedom of individual students and teachers to practice the religion of their choice.”
The group emphasized that India’s government schools serve children from a wide range of religious communities, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Indigenous groups and those who do not identify with any faith.
It argued that no child should be compelled to participate in religious observances inconsistent with their beliefs as a condition of attending school.
APCR further questioned why district education officials had been tasked with implementing and monitoring religious activities, arguing that their responsibility should instead focus on improving educational standards and ensuring the effective functioning of schools.
The organization has called on the Chhattisgarh government to withdraw or revise the directive and remove religious observances from the list of mandatory school activities, warning that public education must remain inclusive and consistent with constitutional guarantees rather than becoming a vehicle for promoting any one faith.
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